Abel to Yzerman

Abel to Yzerman

Questions On Alex DeBrincat And Kyle Conner

05/01/2023 at 6:26am EDT

from Ansar Khan of Mlive,

Alex DeBrincat was traded on draft day last summer, and he might be on the move again at this year’s draft.

The high-scoring winger from Farmington Hills reportedly is lukewarm to the idea of re-signing with the Ottawa Senators. He is due to become a restricted free agent on July 1. His cap hit was $6.4 million, but his actual salary for 2022-23 was $9 million, so that’s what it will cost to qualify him, which the Senators will do to retain his rights, unless he’s traded before then.

Ottawa won’t let DeBrincat play out the season and become an unrestricted free agent in 2024. So, after being shipped from Chicago to Ottawa on the first day of the 2022 draft, he seems destined to be dealt again unless the sides reach an agreement.

DeBrincat was one of two local products MLive readers expressed their desire for the Red Wings to acquire in the latest mailbag:...

Q: (Yzerman) needs to look at Kyle Connor of the Jets. He had major chemistry with Andrew Copp when they were playing on a line together in Winnipeg. Watched how Connor would sneakily feed Copp slowly gliding up the middle between three defenders around him and score a beautiful deflection in the slot.

A: Acquiring Connor seems like more of a longshot than landing DeBrincat.

The Jets might shake up their roster following a first-round loss to Vegas, after which coach Rick Bowness said he “disappointed and disgusted” by his team’s lack of pushback in the series.

But would Connor, a 26-year-old winger, be among the changes?

read on

Paul

from Kevin Allen of Detroit Hockey Now,

Detroit Red Wings forward prospect Theodor Niederbach will be back in the Swedish Hockey League next season, thanks to MoDos 4-0 win against Djurgarden of Game 7 of the Hockey Allsvenskan championship series.

That win moves Modo back into Swedens top league. Niederbach (drafted 51st by the Detroit Red Wings in 2020) is signed with MoDo for a couple of seasons. Niederbach has not developed like the Red Wings hoped he would, but he had a good playoff with 12 points in 17 games.

He had 18 points in 31 games for MoDo in the regular-season. Niederbach is 21, and he would have to show significant improvement next season in the SHL to get pointed to the NHL.

continue for a few more organizational news...

Paul

Paul

from Max Bultman of The Athletic,

After Cossa, Colgates Carter Gylander has separated himself as the most notable goalie prospect in Detroits system. Gylander was a seventh-round pick in 2019, and has steadily improved in three NCAA seasons, turning in a .914 save percentage this year as a junior. The Red Wings have yet to sign him, and he can technically become a free agent in August 2024, but a big senior season could be enough to earn him a contract.

Detroit also has one more season to make a decision on 2020 fourth-round pick Jan Bednar, but the trend there has been less favorable. After an uptick in the QMJHL last season, Bednar was only able to play 10 games this season, with an .874 save percentage. He did show reasonably well with a .901 in three appearances at ECHL Toledo, and he is still just 20, but Bednar will need to make a serious statement to stay in the picture.

Finally, while hes too old to really be considered a prospect, John Lethemon had a notable enough season to warrant a mention here, even at age 26. Splitting time with Cossa in Toledo, Lethemon put up a .930 save percentage and took home the ECHLs Goalie of the Year honors.

He had a rockier time playing behind a bad AHL team in Grand Rapids, and at his age, a path to Detroit looks like a long shot for the Northville native especially as an RFA this summer. But it was a big year by any measure, and perhaps one that could earn him another look.

more ($), includes Husso and Cossa talk too...

teldar

Debrincat is really one dimensional for$9M/yr. And I think think it's time to start trading away multiple first round picks to get better as good at drafting Stevie had been so far. Sorry, people.

Create an Account

In order to leave a comment, please create an account.

About Abel to Yzerman

Welcome to Abel to Yzerman, a Red Wing blog since 1977. No other site on the internet has better-researched, fact-laden and better prepared discussions than A2Y. Re-phrase: we do little research, find facts and stats highly overrated and claim little to no preparation. There are 19 readers of A2Y. No more, no less. All of them, except maybe one, are juvenile in nature. Reminding them of that in the comment section will only encourage them to prove that.

Most Recent Posts

Most Recent Comments

Comment by Paul in Kukla's Korner Hockey from the entry NHL Short Notes - 4 hours ago
Comment by Paul in Kukla's Korner Hockey from the entry NHL Short Notes - 4 hours ago
Comment by Steeb in Abel to Yzerman from the entry Quick Recap- Wings/Hurricanes - 5 hours ago
Comment by calquake in Abel to Yzerman from the entry Quick Recap- Wings/Hurricanes - 6 hours ago
Comment by StargateSG1 in Abel to Yzerman from the entry Quick Recap- Wings/Hurricanes - 6 hours ago